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Overview
The Hottest Baby Name Trends, Lists, and Forecasts
An instant snapshot of how the world today is shaping the name you may choose for your child tomorrow, The 2016 Baby Names Almanac is jam-packed with information and trends, plus thousands of names to browse. Here's a sneak peak at the ideas, forecasts, predictions, and suggestions you'll find:
•Why some names are more popular than you think (Madelyn, Tristan)
•The cutting edge names on the rise (Daleyza, Jayceon) and the superhot names cooling fast (Bridget, Orlando)
•The crossover pop culture names that will be moving to the cribs of tomorrow (Elsa, Tobias)
•Just how many Sophias and Noahs are out there
•A look at whether popular unisex names like Sidney or Justice are used more for boys or girls
•The hottest names in your state
•The literary inspiration that's bumping up certain names, and the surname that is skyrocketing for girls
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781492622055 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Sourcebooks |
| Publication date: | 12/01/2015 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 400 |
| File size: | 1 MB |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Baby Names Almanac 2016
By Emily Larson
Sourcebooks, Inc.
Copyright © 2015 Sourcebooks, Inc.All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4926-2205-5
CHAPTER 1
Inside the Popularity Charts
The Top 10
Let's start with the most popular names in the country. Ranked by the Social Security Administration (SSA), these names are released around Mother's Day each year. (The top 10 names get the most attention, but you may also hear about the top 100. The total number of names widely reported is 1,000.) In 2014 the top 10 names were similar to — but not identical to — the top 10 for 2013. The biggest change: After three years in the top spot on the girls' list, Sophia dropped into third. Emma took over the top spot, and Olivia jumped into second place. The boys' list was more stable, though after five years in the top 10, Jayden dropped out. James (on the boys' side) and Charlotte(on the girls' side) were new additions to the top 10 lists this year. Here's a quick comparison of 2013 and 2014:
2014 Girls2013 Girls2014 Boys2013 Boys
1. Emma 1. Sophia 1. Noah 1. Noah
2. Olivia 2. Emma 2. Liam 2. Liam
3. Sophia 3. Olivia 3. Mason 3. Jacob
4. Isabella 4. Isabella 4. Jacob 4. Mason
5. Ava 5. Ava 5. William 5. William
6. Mia 6. Mia 6. Ethan 6. Ethan
7. Emily 7. Emily 7. Michael 7. Michael
8. Abigail 8. Abigail 8. Alexander 8. Alexander
9. Madison 9. Madison 9. James 9. Jayden
10. Charlotte 10. Elizabeth 10. Daniel 10. Daniel
Just How Many Emmas Are There, Anyway?
Sure, these names are popular, but what does that mean? Well, it seems that new parents are increasingly looking for off-the-beaten-path names for their little ones, and it shows. According to the SSA, the top 1,000 names represent 73.54 percent of all babies born and named in the United States in 2014 — a significant drop from the 77.84 percent recorded in 2000.
Although parents of either gender have always been looking beyond the top 1,000, parents of boys are more likely to pick a name in that mix — 78.96 percent of boys' names are represented on the top 1,000 list, while only 67.86 percent of girls' names are.
Plus, although it may seem like you know a zillion people with daughters named Olivia or Ava, the most popular names are actually bestowed upon a relatively small number of babies each year. For example, in 2014 only 0.9431 percent of all male babies born in the United States (that's 19,144 little guys total) got the most popular name, Noah. There are slightly more girls (20,799) with the most popular name, Emma, but even that's only 1.0729 percent of all girls born. Only a fifth of the Noah total — 3,872 babies — were given the 100th most popular name, Camden. The number of babies with the number one name is dropping swiftly — back in 1999, when Jacob first hit number one, more than 35,000 boys got that name, which is almost 16,000 more babies than got the top boys' name, Noah, in 2014. And back in 1970, 4.48 percent of all male babies (a staggering 85,298 tots) were named Michael, the most popular name of that year. So if you've got your heart set on naming your son Mason but you're worried that he'll be surrounded by Masons wherever he goes, take heart!
What's Popular in My State?
It's interesting to see how some names are more popular in certain states than in others. For example, Harper ranks 11th nationally for girls, but in North Dakota, it's the most popular name. Likewise, Aurora ranks fourth among Alaska's baby girls, but only 116th in the nation. On the boys' side, Owen was the third most popular name in Maine, but falls to number 36 across the country.
The following chart lists the top five names for girls and boys for each of the 50 states, and it also shows the actual number of births for each of those names in each state.
What Joined — and Dropped Off — the Hot 100 in 2014?
One of the easiest ways to spot name trends is to watch what joins the Hot 100 and what drops off. For the (young) ladies, several new names joined in 2014:Eleanor, Isabelle, Alice, Vivian, Hadley, and Jasmine. A number of these names (Alice and Eleanor especially) are a nod to the "grandma" names that are quickly coming back in style.
Another bunch dropped off the list: Nicole, number 43 only ten years ago, lost its Hot 100 spot, as did Makayla, Kayla, Sydney, Jocelyn, and Morgan. Mary, the girls' name that has been number one more often than any other name in the past 100 years, held steady this year at number 120. Jennifer, which held the number one spot from 1970 to 1984, continued to slide, dropping from 192 in 2013 to 220 in 2014. For the boys, a handful of newcomers joined the Hot 100.Asher, Ryder (which sat at 904 in 2001), and Leo all continued to rise, while Jase, Tristan, and Damian fell off.
New to the Top 1,000 This Year
These names are fresh faces in the top 1,000 list this year. Some of them have never set foot on the list before, but odds are they'll keep moving up.
How Do You Spell Aydin?
When you take into account that the male name Aiden has nine spelling variations in the top 1,000 (see the list that follows), that means that this one name actually shows up on the list nine different times! We broke down the top 1,000 names for boys and girls this way, counting all the different spelling variations as one name, and we got some surprising results. Looking from that perspective, there aren't 1,000 unique names at all! We counted roughly 721 unique girls' names and approximately 803 unique boys' names. The girls have fewer unique names, spelled in more ways, whereas parents of boys reach into a bigger pool of names. Let's take a look at some of the names with the most (or most interesting!) variations in the top 1,000.
Note: Some of these names could be pronounced slightly differently from one another. Also, names are listed in order of popularity.
Boys
It's no surprise that the "-ayden" names (such as Aiden, Jayden, Brayden, and Kaden) offer lots of spelling variety, but the changes in Devin and Kason struck us as a little more unusual.
Girls
Some of these seemed more obvious — Adalyn, for one — but others, like Liliana, surprised us with their robust variety.
What Do the Most Popular Names Start With?
You may find it surprising, but only seven of the names in the top 1,000 girl baby names for 2014 start with a W:Wendy, Whitney, Willa, Willow, Winter, Wren, and Wynter. At the same time, you probably won't find it surprising that the most popular letter that girls' names start with is A (177 of the top 1,000), with M as a close second with 105 names. Among the boys' names, 100 start with J, and A names comprise 97 of the total 1,000 names. In 2009, every single letter in the alphabet had at least one boy and girl name, as Unique hopped back on the chart (929) for the first time in four years. But in 2014, no U names made it on the girls' list. (The boys, however, are covered, with Uriah, Uriel, Urijah, and Ulises). And there was only one Q (Quinn) or X (Ximena) for girls.
Gender-Neutral Options
Lots of names are popular for both boys and girls, but they're generally more popular for one gender than the other. Here's a list of names that appeared on both the boys' top 1,000 and the girls' top 1,000, plus how they ranked in 2014 for each gender. Some interesting finds here — Hayden and Charlie, once in the top 100 for boys, are now given to nearly the same number of boys as girls. Lennon, relatively new to the top 1,000 for both genders, is also almost equally distributed. And the sky is the limit for Skyler, sitting at 302 for boys and 352 for girls. We'd suggest that 2016 will be a great year for Kyle to hit the girls' list.
Which Names Are Moving Up — and Falling Down — the Fastest?
The SSA compiles a list of names that have made the biggest moves when compared to their rank the previous year (assuming the name has made the top 1,000 at least once in the last two years). Some of these jumpers have obvious triggers, while the reasons for other jumps and declines are more open to interpretation. Take a look and see what you think.
CHAPTER 2What's Hot (or Not) Today (And What Will — and Won't! — Be Tomorrow)
Now that we've seen the state of baby names today, here's a snapshot of some interesting trends we've spotted, as well as some predictions of who you may be meeting on the playground sometime soon.
You'll notice that certain names are on the rise and others are on the decline, showing how trends are morphing over time (for example, how religious names like Adam and Rebecca are on the decline, while Messiah and Eden are climbing the ranks). We've also included some offbeat and unique ways to take each of these trends and find a name that really fits you and your family.
Trends Today
SOPHIA THE THIRD
The name Sophia first hit the top 10 in 2006 and secured the top spot for girls in 2011. For three years, it was the most popular name — an honor that had only been held by eight other names in the past hundred years: Isabella, Emma, Emily, Jessica, Ashley, Jennifer, Lisa, and Mary. (For boys, there's been even less variety: Noah, Jacob, Michael, David, Robert, James, and John.) This year, Emma jumped back into the top spot, rising from second place in 2012 and 2013. Sophia dropped to number three. The rise of Emma is sure to be influenced by superstars Emma Stone and Emma Watson, both of whom had banner years in 2014. Will the name hold on to the number one spot for a few years or turn the crown over to runner-up Olivia? Only time will tell!
SOLDIERING ON
An increasing number of parents are honoring military service members with the ultimate tribute — they're naming their kids after them! The name (and military rank) Major — which catapulted from 989 in 2011 to 485 in 2012, and then shot up another 118 spots to number 366 in 2013 — continued its climb this year and rose another sixteen spots to 350. Other military-inspired names are also on the rise: Gunner shot up from 293 in 2012 to 240 in 2013 and then to 235 in 2014, Crew rose from 733 to 682, while Knox (like the military base Fort Knox) rose from 345 to 286. Garrison, another word for a military post, rose from 996 to 945, while Maverick climbed to 206 from 271. And these names aren't male-specific: while Remington climbed from 362 to 313 on the boys' list this year, it also entered the girls' list for the first time in 2014 at 685.
As the trend continues, we wouldn't be at all surprised to see names like General, Captain, Admiral, and Lieutenant appear on the list in coming years.
FIT FOR A KING
There is no monarchy on American soil, but that doesn't stop some parents from wishful thinking! Prince William and Kate Middleton welcomed their son, Prince George Alexander Louis, in July 2013, and the name made an immediate jump. George rose from 158 to 134 from 2013 to 2014, while Louis rose from 315 to 289. Alexander was already well regarded and stayed steady at number eight. In May 2015, the royal couple welcomed a daughter, Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. Charlotte made its first appearance in the top 10 in 2014 and will likely continue to rise now that the name has an adorable royal namesake. Elizabeth fell out of the top 10 to make way for Charlotte, falling to 14 in 2014, and Diana continued its decline in 2014, landing at number 297 from 271 in 2013. We expect to see a quick turn of fortune for the name, which sat at number 90 in 2004.
But it's not only names out of Kensington Palace that are getting the royal treatment. Three names on the rise this year? Royal, King, and Prince. The boys' name Royal debuted at 900 in 2013 and shot up 327 spots to 573 in 2014. King jumped from 193 in 2013 to 175 in 2014 (its variant Kingston rose from 191 to 161), while Prince climbed from 451 to 412 (variant Princeton climbed from 636 to 517). Duke, the royal rank just below Prince, also had a big couple of years: it debuted on the boys' list at 720 in 2013, and this year sits at 666. (Bill and Giuliana Rancic, whose son goes by Duke, probably helped too!)
FROZEN IN TIME
There was perhaps no bigger pop culture phenomenon in 2014 than Frozen, the animated blockbuster that hit theaters in November 2013 and became the highest-grossing box office animated film of all time. So it's no surprise that Elsa, the name of the film's Snow Queen, reigned supreme. The name had never broken the top 500 until 2014, when it rose from 528 to 286. Variants like Elsie (from 365 to 336) and Eloise (336 to 300) rose as well. Elsa's sister, Princess Anna, another favorite, had a more popular name to start. It only moved up one spot, from 35 to 34.
HISPANIC HERITAGE
Spanish-speaking culture has had a significant impact on baby names. Hispanic Americans make up the second-largest population group in the United States, and these demographics are reflected in a number of 2014's biggest jumpers. The fastest-rising name for girls — jumping an incredible 3,625 spots! — was Aranza, likely influenced by the young character on the Spanish-language telenovela Por Siempre Mi Amor as well as the popular Mexican singer of the same name. On the boys' list, Neymar sailed from its 703 debut in 2012 to 648 in 2013, then up another hundred spots in 2014 — most definitely the doing of Brazilian soccer player Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, who more commonly goes by only his first name.
Ways to Make This Trend Your Own
Options still off the radar: Salome, Augustina, Romina, Manuela
Ways to Make This Trend Your Own
Options still off the radar: Facundo, Bautista, Patricio, Lautaro
HAPPY EVERLY AFTER
In May 2013, actor-couple Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum welcomed their first child, Everly. The popular celebrity duo most definitely inspired other new parents — the name Everly catapulted up the charts in 2013, jumping from 905 in 2012 (its first year on the list) to 380. In 2014, it climbed another 202 spots to 178. The variant Everleigh also made moves, debuting in the top 1,000 in 2014 at 871 and climbing up the ranks to 716 in 2014.
THE FORCE IS WITH THESE NAMES
The first Star Wars film was released in 1977, but the names from the series are getting new life — perhaps due to the release of the most recent film, which came out at the end of 2015. It seems hard to believe that many parents would want to name their little ones after Darth Vader, but the name Anakin had a huge rise in popularity this year, moving up from 1,258 in 2013 to 957 in 2014. Luke rose from 34 to 28, and Leia, which came back into the top 1,000 in 2006 (its other two appearances were in 1978 and 1980, no doubt due to the film), rose to 509 in 2014, its highest rank yet.
GO WEST
Maybe it's due to the popularity of FX's modern-day cowboy drama Justified, which ended its run in 2015. These days, names inspired by the Wild West are all the rage. The name of the show's main character, Raylan, made the top 1,000 for the first time in 2011, debuting at 699, and rose to 495 by 2014. Arlo, another Justified character name, debuted in 2011 at 914 and is now 539. Even the word West is inspiring popular names — Weston is up to number 136, Westin is 710, and Wesley is 130. And, for the die-hard cowboys out there, Stetson, the classic brand of cowboy hat, debuted on the list in 2013 at 947 and is now sitting pretty at 843! Check out these new popular names for the littlest cowboys and cowgirls.
Ways to Make This Trend Your Own
Options still off the radar: Boyd, Otis, Kirby, Buck, Nell, Clint, Peggy, Loretta, May
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Baby Names Almanac 2016 by Emily Larson. Copyright © 2015 Sourcebooks, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Sourcebooks, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction,Inside the Popularity Charts,
What's Hot (or Not) Today (And What Will—and Won't!—Be Tomorrow),
Girls' Names,
Boys' Names,